Jen Merritt, LMT, a resident of Glenside and a 2001 graduate of Abington Senior High School, has been a practicing massage therapist since her senior year of high school.

After working extensively out of Abington, she opened her own massage practice in Flourtown until the pandemic. Since then, she’s been operating inside Salon 90 in Chestnut Hill. Her company—Merritt Massage & Yoga—offers classes there Friday through Sunday, as well as virtual classes involving gentle yoga, emotional freedom technique (aka tapping), meditation, hypnotherapy, and energy healing.

Certified in hypnotherapy, Merritt graduated from a traditional massage program in 2003, yoga school in 2005, hypnotherapy school in 2011, and ayurveda school in 2015 (a certificate that required 500 hours of training). She also completed a six-month sound healing program in 2024.

“Every couple of years I do a pretty intensive training. I’m currently learning neurolinguistic programming, which is a form of communication,” she said.

Merritt says the important element of her job is helping people relax.

“Touch is a mirror. We see ourselves, we choose what clothes we put on, we brush our own hair. Massage is a place where you can learn to let go from physical injuries, from stress, from bad eating habits,” she said. “Informed technique helps you reflect back what cleansing the tissue feels like. It allows people to let go of that tightness.”

Couples Massage Class

Her couples massage comes in two forms: Swedish and deep tissue. Each class begins with an hour of conversation, followed by guided, hands-on practice where each person gives and receives a one-hour massage with instruction and demonstration.

“Those two are foundational. I emphasize that self-care is about feeling what your body is asking for and needing,” she said. “Each week, couples learn to give care to each other while also paying attention to their body and making sure to give while coming from a place of self-awareness. When you’re aware of your body, you’re able to make conscious choices about what you’re doing.”

For more on Merritt Massage & Yoga, located at 90 Bethlehem Pike in Chestnut Hill, you can visit their website and Facebook page.

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Photos: Jen Merritt